![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Seven student-run companies competed in the annual Startup World Cup Harker National Youth Qualifier for a share of the $2,500 prize pool and a chance to qualify for the Startup World Cup Grand Finale on Friday.
SchoolAce, founded by Valley Christian High School student Aiden Shankar (9), placed first overall, followed by novel screen time integration Zavion AI and juniors Nicole Dean and Stellan Lindh’s Fika Matcha. The three companies will advance to the Grand Finale in San Francisco on Nov. 6, where they will compete for the 1-million-dollar prize.
Two companies from Harker competed at Startup World Cup, which was hosted in partnership with Pegasus Tech Ventures. Sophomore Isaac Liu founded ForeCast to help golfers more easily secure tee times based on their preferences. Fika showcased its specialty matcha blends and emphasized the drink’s rising popularity, outlining a long-term growth strategy.
“Right before we started pitching, Stellan and I were very nervous, but we kept telling ourselves, ‘At the end of the day, what makes Fika so special is our culture and the vibe we bring,’” Nicole said. “So we just need to get in the right place where we can bring that energy to the stage and not get too caught up thinking about the perfect thing to say.”
Student founders presented their startups for five minutes to a panel of judges, including Samsung Ventures managing director John Kwon, Khosla Ventures partner Rajesh Swaminathan, Mayfield Fund investor Vijay Reddy and Pear VC partner Ajay Kamat, on the Patil Theater stage.
While the judges deliberated, Mehta scholars Leana Zhou (12) and Tanvi Sivakumar (12) held a fireside chat with Cartesia co-founder Brandon Yang (’14), discussing challenges he faced and mentors he met during his entrepreneurial journey.
Over 400 Silicon Valley venture capitalists, angel investors and tech founders attended the Startup World Cup, which was open to the public. Business and Entrepreneurship teacher Michael Acheatel, who helped organize the event, emphasized his hopes that it allowed students and industry professionals to connect.
“One of the main goals, starting with the students, is to give them an opportunity to present what they’ve been working on, to get recognition, to get support from community members,” Acheatel said. “So what’s super important is creating an ecosystem where people can network and leverage that community to do even better things.”
Before the National Youth Qualifier, ten startups from the Harker Incubator class and other schools held booths in the RPAC lobby and competed in the Quick Pitch Competition. Each company delivered a one-minute speech in front of the audience in Patil Theater, highlighting their current revenue streams and expansion plans. Acheatel then invited audience members to vote for the winner through an online poll before announcing juniors Ian Cheline and Mason Brooks’ ClothnClaw as the top team.
For attendee Colin Campbell (9), Startup World Cup served as an inspiration for him to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations.
“I learned that anybody can be a leader because what I saw in there was these average school kids like me making really impressive presentations,” Colin said. “It’s much more obtainable for me, and I feel inspired that it’s not that hard to make a company because average kids like me made a company and presented it in front of tons of investors.”
Additional reporting by Johanna Byun.
